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Caleb Williams' toughest challenge in 2025 could surprise Chicago Bears fans

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated May 28, 2025 10:51 AM ET

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has a lot on his plate in 2025. He's beginning his second season in the NFL with a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator, an almost entirely new offensive line, and, what many would believe is the most challenging obstacle of all, a new playbook.

But in a new breakdown of every quarterback's biggest obstacle in 2025, Williams's highest hurdle is something much more basic: his deep ball.

"On throws located 15-plus yards downfield in 2024, the rookie No. 1 overall pick posted a 63.6 passer rating," Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon wrote. "(Jayden) Daniels' rating under the same circumstances? 109.5."

Yep -- another side-by-side comparsion of Williams and Daniels.

Get used to it, Bears fans. This narrative won't stop until Williams elevates his game to NFL superstardom, much like Daniels already did in his rookie year.

Perhaps something as simple as connecting on more downfield throws can do that for the 2024 first-overall pick.

It's not like Williams didn't have an eye for making big plays. Williams had the lowest rate of checkdown throws in the NFL last season at just 7.1%. By comparison, Russell wilson had the highest at 19.2%.

Don't be surprised to see Williams take more checkdowns in 2025 in an effort to have more big plays, too. Easy completions lead to favorable down-and-distance opportunities for a play-calling wizard like Ben Johnson to take advantage of. And, usually, that means shots downfield.

But Williams must improve when those shots downfield present themselves. According to Pro Football Focus, among 34 quarterbacks with at least 25 pass attempts beyond 20 yards, Williams graded 33rd with a putrid 56.4. The only QBs who scored worse were Spencer Rattler (New Orleans Saints) and Mac Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars).

It wasn't all bad for Caleb Williams, though. He did have some quality long-ball moments, as this thread on X (formerly Twitter) did a nice job showcasing:

“Caleb Williams doesn’t have a Deep Ball”

Here’s a Thread of every Deep Pass Caleb Williams made last season :

47 Yard Pass to Rome Odunze @ Colts pic.twitter.com/TqKeo5oLtT
— BearsMuse (@ChiBearsMuse) May 21, 2025

All signs are pointing toward Williams already experiencing growth on and off the field under Ben Johnson. Assuming he's put the necessary work in this offseason, there's no reason to expect anything short of a massive breakout season from Caleb, which should include a fair number of long touchdown passes, too.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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